


Love Letters

by RaeDMagdon



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Canon fic, F/F, Femslash, Fluff, Love Confessions, Love Letters, Post-Book 4, Romance, korra realizes she loves asami
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-30
Updated: 2016-06-30
Packaged: 2018-07-19 07:25:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7351609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaeDMagdon/pseuds/RaeDMagdon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Korra plans to ask Mako to attend Varrick and Zhu Li's wedding with her, but ends up figuring out something else about herself and her feelings instead.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love Letters

**Author's Note:**

> This came from a tumblr experience one of my followers sent me. According to their story, they sent a text to a guy they liked confessing their love, and the text accidentally went to their best female friend instead. Long story short, she got a girlfriend instead of a boyfriend and is blissfully happy. I translated this into LoK-verse as best I could, because it reminded me of Korrasami so much. ^^
> 
> The art is by @pinkrabbitparachute and you should all follow her on tumblr for more fanart!

"Dear Mako... ugh, no."

Korra huffed in annoyance, scrunching up her face as she stared at the sheet of paper on her lap. She had been holed up in the gazebo for what felt like hours already, trying to put down the words in her head, but they just weren't coming. She wasn't much of a writer to begin with, and writing about her feelings was even worse. It didn't help that Naga was staring at her from a few yards away, curled up with her chin resting on her giant paws—silently judging.

"Don't look at me like that," Korra muttered, aiming a glare at the polar bear dog before turning it on the crumpled pile of paper balls next to her knee. "You don't get it. Writing letters is hard. See, this is why I only wrote one letter to Asami while I was in the South Pole. I'm awful at it. Maybe I should just ask him in person?"

Naga let out a low whine, one side of her jowl drooping as her head flopped to the side.

"Okay, okay, I get it. You're right. Bad idea."

So far, all her fumbling attempts at romance had ended in disaster. She often acted on impulse, and she didn't want to repeat past mistakes—which was why she had chosen to write Mako a letter asking him to accompany her to Varrick and Zhu Li's wedding as her date. A letter that, unfortunately, had exactly zero words so far.

She scowled and scratched out the name at the top, scribbling over it until it was nothing more than a black smudge of ink. The name could wait. She needed to get something substantial down before sunset, and the fading light in the sky was already turning pink. _Pema will probably be calling everyone in for dinner any minute now. I've only got a few minutes..._

With deep sigh, she turned away from the rosy-tinged view of the ocean and propped the paper back on her thigh, sucking her tongue between her teeth and trying to concentrate. "Okay. So...why do I want him to be my date? What made me think this was a good idea?" Naga whuffed softly, nose twitching, and Korra rolled her eyes. "I wasn't asking you. If you're not going to be encouraging, you can leave."

With a whimper, Naga lowered her head again and resumed her half-nap, leaving Korra alone with her frustrated thoughts. In all honesty, she wasn't sure why she wanted to ask Mako to the wedding. Maybe it was because she felt like it was supposed to happen. In stories, the hero always got the girl in the end—or guy, she supposed, in her case. _Especially_ if they were the Avatar. And here she was, fresh from saving the world and about to go to a huge celebration that represented a brand new start for everyone. She didn't want to do it alone, and Mako seemed like a logical choice.

_I mean, he has been better lately. Instead of being Mister Stick-in-the-Mud Cop, he's been supportive and encouraging. He risked his life more than once trying to stop Kuvira. I trust him. I know he's always got my back..._ That was something she could work with. Trust. Friendship. _Those are good reasons to ask your ex to be your date, right? It's not like I have any better ideas._

She started scribbling, chewing on the inside of her cheek as she went.

_'We've been friends for a long time. Despite everything we've been through, you've always been there for me. When I think of the people who make me feel safe and cared for, you're on top of the list."_ She paused, considering whether she really wanted to add that last part. It was true that Mako made her feel very safe and cared for, and she trusted him with her life, but something about the sentence wasn't ringing true, although she couldn't put her finger on what. She scratched it out and tried again. _'You  make me feel safe and cared for, and I know that no matter what happens, you'll always have my back. So, I was hoping you would go to Varrick and Zhu Li's wedding with me as my date. I can't think of anyone I'd rather spend such a special night with.'_

That last part didn't feel right either, but before she could scratch it out and try again, the sound of soft footsteps startled her. She folded the letter hastily, not even worrying about smudging it in her efforts to hide it. "Naga," she scolded, "why didn't you let me know anyone was..."

Her eyes finally lit on the person who had interrupted her, and she couldn't help but grin. Asami was standing on the gazebo steps, waving at her and wearing a beautiful smile. Her other hand was currently busy scratching between Naga's perked ears, which explained the polar bear dog's strange silence. "I see you've gotten past my guard dog," Korra said, laughing as Naga's tail thumped happily against the wooden floorboards. "What's up, Asami? I didn't know you were coming for dinner, but I'm glad you're here."

"You're sweet," Asami murmured. "I'm glad Pema and Tenzin invited me too. It gets lonely at Sato Mansion when you guys aren't hanging around. I'm pretty busy with the reconstruction efforts, but that doesn't leave much time for socializing." She looked up and away from Naga, and for a moment, Korra found herself lost in a dazzling sea of green.

_Whoa. I've never really noticed how pretty her eyes are before. Wait. That isn't a weird thing to think, is it? I mean, it's Asami. She's always gorgeous...and smart...and perfect...and..._

She shook herself, trying to get her mind back on track. A sudden thought occurred to her, and she held out the letter. "Actually, I could use your expert help with something myself. Could you read this for me? I'm, uh...not so good with words, so I wrote this letter..." Asami's brows arched with a mixture of confusion and curiosity, and Korra groaned in frustration. "Ugh. See? I'm awful at explaining. Just read it, please, and tell me what you think? I'm sorry if it's terrible."

"I'm sure it's not terrible," Asami said, but she took the letter, flipping it open delicately with one crimson nail. As she scanned the page, Korra waited impatiently, rubbing awkwardly at her neck and shifting her weight from foot to foot. Try as she might, she couldn't seem to stop fidgeting, and a hot flush spread across her cheeks despite the cool evening breeze.

_What if she doesn't like it? What if it's stupid? Spirits, I'm gonna end up at the wedding all by myself, looking like a total loser who couldn't get a date even though I just saved the world again—_

"Korra?"

Korra's attention snapped back to Asami, and she was surprised to see that the lovely green eyes she had been admiring before were swimming with unshed tears. A sudden stab of ache pierced her heart, and she began regretting all her life's choices in a single moment. _Korra, you idiot! Why didn't you think this through? Of course she has every right to be upset about you taking Mako to the wedding. You basically stole him from her the first time like a total hogmonkey._

"Oh no. Asami, please don't cry. I should have said something to you first! I know the two of us and Mako had that weird love triangle going, but I thought we were past it and—"

"We are," Asami said, but the tears in her eyes didn't show any signs of fading. It was only then that Korra noticed she was smiling.

_Smiling? Wait, what? Why—_

The look on Asami's face wasn't one of hurt or jealousy, but of tremulous hope—such a strange reaction that it took Korra a few moments to recognize it for what it was. When she finally did, it knocked all the wind straight out of her. She couldn't breathe, and suddenly, it seemed like the entire world was spinning around her. Only Asami's gorgeous face remained steady at the center of her vision, a calming anchor in a sea of confusion.

"Korra, I...I had no idea you felt this way about me. I mean, I'd hoped, but you never said anything, so I thought it might be my imagination."

_ Wait. Feelings? For her? _ Korra blinked, trying to understand. Asami's words were coming too fast, all in a jumble, and her sluggish brain couldn't sort through them all. _She's joking, right? I mean, she's a girl. And I'm a girl. And we're best friends. I don't have feelings for her. Sure, she's beautiful, and smart, and kind, and sweet, and so brave. She always looks out for me, even more than Mako and Bolin and my parents. She's an ace pilot and a badass go-kart racer and so much more than a prissy rich girl. And she's got legs for days and perfect hair and perfect makeup and she always smells so good and her hips are amazing and her boobs are... Oh. Oh shit. Normal girls don't think about their best friends' boobs, do they? Spirits, Korra, say something! Tell her it's a mistake!_

But even though she opened her mouth, she couldn't force anything out except a soft, confused whimper. Her throat was all stopped up, probably because her heart had leapt into it and lodged there. She couldn't bring herself to correct Asami's mistake, and she wasn't sure she wanted to. Now that she was thinking about it, she wasn’t sure it had been a mistake at all. All she could do instead was babble "I. Um, I mean…you ' _hoped',_ Asami? I just—I...I thought..."

Asami didn't seem upset by her awkward stammering. Instead, she reached out a hand, hesitating for just a moment to make sure her touch would be welcome before lacing their fingers together. Asami's palm was warm and comforting against hers, and Korra found herself squeezing back without thinking about it.

"You'll have to be patient with me," Asami said, further deteriorating Korra's already limited powers of speech. "I've known I was interested in women...in you...for a while now, but I've never gone on a date with another girl before. But if you're okay with taking things a little slow, I'd love to go to Varrick and Zhu Li's wedding with you. I'm so glad you asked."

Korra's jaw dropped. She knew she needed to say something, or risk looking like an elephant koi with its mouth hanging open, but she couldn't for the life of her think of a proper response. Asami's misinterpretation had come as a complete shock, but the more she thought about it, the more... _right..._ it felt. Suddenly, it made sense why the words she had written on the page for Mako hadn't seemed satisfactory.

_I didn't want to go to the wedding with Mako at all. I wanted to go with her. He's one of my best friends, but he isn't my_ best _friend. She is. She's been at the top of my list all along, and I was too oblivious to even realize it! How long have I felt like this?_

Just thinking about the question brought back a flood of memories: the two of them on the Earth Queen's airship, driving together in Asami's Satomobile, racing go-karts, embracing after three years apart, drinking tea and watching the sunset together in this very gazebo...

_Oh Spirits. Were we flirting all this time? Was I falling in love with her? Why didn't I notice?_

But it did make figuring out what was supposed to happen next much, much easier. The letter hadn't been meant for Asami, but every word of it was true. "Thank you," she said. "I—I'm glad I asked you, too. So...what are we supposed to do now?"

"Well," Asami murmured, leaning an inch forward and gazing down at her through lowered lashes, "usually at this part, when a boy asks a girl on a date, I think they're supposed to kiss? It should be the same with two girls, right? I mean, as long as you want to..."

Korra knew she wouldn't be able to think of a single smooth thing to say, so she gathered her courage and leaned in, cupping Asami's face with her free hand and pressing their lips together.

It was awkward at first. Their mouths didn't meet quite right, and their noses bumped until Asami tilted her head. But after a few seconds of scrambling to align themselves, they finally managed, melting into a much smoother, hotter kiss. Korra let out the soft breath she had been holding against Asami's mouth, one hundred percent certain she had made the right choice. Asami's lips were warm and smooth, and they tasted sweeter than she expected, along with a hint of waxy lipstick that, to Korra's surprise, wasn't actually unpleasant. She smiled, and after a few seconds, her grin stretched so wide that she couldn't keep the kiss up anymore.

  
  


Luckily, Asami didn't seem to mind. She pulled back, panting happily, and the joy shining in her eyes made Korra feel dizzy all over again. She felt like she had downed a whole cup of sake at once, like she'd tasted the sweetest dessert imaginable, like she was using her glider and soaring high above Air Temple Island at the perfect time of day. "So...Asami..."

"Korra..."

"That was pretty…wow. Huh?"

"Yes."

They both started laughing, and Korra looked down to see that they were still holding hands. "So..." She ran her thumb over Asami's knuckles, the question fairly bursting on her tongue. "Would you maybe, you know...want to do that again? For, um, practice?"

"Practice, huh?" Asami tilted Korra’s chin up, holding her finger beneath it. "Personally, I don't think you need any practice, but we can _definitely_ do that again."

 

 

 

 


End file.
